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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24837892">GO Meta Compilation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsepremise/pseuds/falsepremise'>falsepremise</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman &amp; Terry Pratchett</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale is "just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing" (Good Omens), Aziraphale's gut, BAMF Aziraphale, Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Demonic Sex, God - Freeform, Meta, Miracles, Religion, Sex, Sexuality, Shadwell, angelic sex, characters, faith - Freeform, holy water heist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:26:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24837892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsepremise/pseuds/falsepremise</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Compilation of various bites of meta on Good Omens covering such topics as: sexuality, religion, how miracles work, Aziraphale's gut and the holy water heist.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Evidence that Crowley and Aziraphale want to fuck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Evidence of <strong>sexual</strong> attraction in particular not just romantic, in historical order:</p><p>(1) <strong>Asmodeus</strong>. When guessing what Crowley’s new name might be Aziraphale guesses “Asmodeus”. Asmodeus is the demon of lust. Why do you think he’s a lust demon, Aziraphale?</p><p>(2) <strong>Oysters</strong>. Oh c'mon the most well-known aphrodisiac both now and in Roman times? And Aziraphale tempts Crowley to eat them and then remarks that actually isn’t it Crowley’s job to tempt him (to eat oysters…to have sex….). Like, wow. What a flirt. Bonus points for the look on Crowley’s face. He read the subtext.</p><p>(3) <strong>The once overs.</strong> Aziraphale gives Crowley plenty of once overs, his gaze drifting lazily up and down Crowley’s body. I’ve ordered this according to the most blatant example: in the Bastille.</p><p>(4)<strong> The staring</strong>. There’s lots of staring, particularly Crowley staring at Aziraphale, but I’ve ordered this according to the most incredible, blatant and sexually-charged example: Crowley watching Aziraphale eat while leaning forward and stroking his neck. Just what are you hungry for, Crowley?</p><p>(5) <strong>The wall slam</strong>. The whole manner of the wall slam, the complete lack of any actual harm, along with the full body contact (Crowley actually rolls his hips in), screams lust. This exact move is, let’s be honest, usually performed immediately before or during sex.</p><p>(6) <strong>The reaction to the wall slam</strong>. Yes, this deserves its own number. Not only do Crowley’s actions radiate lust, but so does Aziraphale’s reaction to them. He stares at Crowley’s face, particularly his lips, like he can’t decide if he wants to eat Crowley or to have Crowley eat him. I’m pretty sure he had the thought, “he’s finally going to kiss me”. And just in case we missed any of that we get sister Mary Loquacious explicitly naming it as an intimate moment. You know, just in case we can’t recognise the blatant eroticism.</p><p>(7) <strong>The Biblical double entendre.</strong> Aziraphale’s enough of a bastard to be worth <em>knowing</em>, is he Crowley? I mean normally, the biblical meaning of the word knowing would be a big enough leap that I wouldn’t call this a double entendre, but given this is a <em>demon</em> talking to an<em> angel</em>. I mean, c’mon. And look at Aziraphale’s reaction! He knew exactly what Crowley was saying.</p><p>And one final one, that doesn’t really fit the historical time line because we don’t know when Crowley acquires it…</p><p>(6)<strong> The statue in Crowley’s apartment</strong>. Wow. An angel and a demon wrestling naked. Just put your porn on display why don’t you, Crowley?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Holy water and “you go too fast for me”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their interaction in the Bentley in 1967 is not a rejection, it did not break Crowley’s heart. It was not hard for Crowley to hear “you go too fast for me”. He did not spend one moment torturing himself with that line. Crowley has his big slapped-in-the-face rejection by Aziraphale moment and it is this: being knocked back in his request for holy water.<br/>
</p><p>By not just refusing to even consider obtaining holy water but also not listening to Crowley, and calling their relationship–something Crowley was planning on fighting Heaven and Hell for–“fratenising” Aziraphale reaches right into Crowley’s heart and smashes it. He definitely replays Aziraphale’s exact delivery of “fratenising” over and over in his head for years to come.</p><p>But “too fast for me”? “Too fast for me” and here’s the holy water you wanted? This isn’t a rejection. This is hope. Crowley isn’t broken by this interaction. He is moved. There is some sadness there. But there is also awe, a kind of reflective openness. It is tender and hopeful. He is aware he has been handed something precious and for the first time has hope that there’s more to come with just a little patience.</p><p>By handing over the holy water Aziraphale is undoing his great rejection of Crowley and acknowledging that they do have their own side and it is worth fighting for. By saying that one day they might have a picnic or dine at the Ritz he is saying that they might have a future together after all.</p><p>In spite of the “too fast for me” this isn’t Aziraphale putting on the brakes, if anything this is Aziraphale speeding up, rushing towards Crowley to meet him halfway with promises of more to come.</p><p>For Crowley, this interaction is probably the clearest confirmation he’s gotten in 6000 years that Aziraphale actually does feel something for him too and might one day act on it. There’s no way he goes home from this depressed. There would be sadness, yes, longing, yes. But he goes home deeply moved, hopeful, and reflective. What he’d been thinking for so long was an unrequited love is requited after all. He just has to wait.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A faithful Crowley? No thanks!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>So, I find the popular fanon concept of a faithful (as in maintaining faith in God, of course he is faithful to Aziraphale!) Crowley a bit disturbing. Like I don’t just disagree with the interpretation, it makes me feel uncomfortable. So, this is my attempt to walk through not just why I think it isn’t accurate but why it makes me uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Firstly though— you are all welcome you your own interpretations including not just interpretations that I disagree with but ones that make me personally feel uncomfortable. <b><em>You do you.</em></b></span>
</p><p>
  <span>So— when it comes to religious faith there are two kinds, both are important and they can be conflated:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(1) belief that God exists</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(2) faith <b><em>in</em></b> God as in <b><em>trust in God</em></b></span>
</p><p>
  <span>For Crowley (and indeed, Aziraphale) the first is irrelevant. They know God exists. But (2) still matters. Good Omens is full of signs that Crowley lacks (2)— he fell for questioning, he sinks in the water entering the offices, he says that Aziraphale is being stupid for thinking that the Almighty will fix everything. The talking to God scene, which is often referenced as evidence of his faith, actually proves a lack of (2) faith IMHO because he is saying to God that he doesn’t believe in the Great Plan (yeah it shows he thinks God exists, but that isn’t relevant— he knows God exists).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alright, so much for why I think a faithful Crowley is not accurate. Why does it make me feel uncomfortable? Well, I’m an atheist myself and not just the kind of atheist who lacks (1) but the kind of atheist who lacks (2) as well. I’m the kind of atheist who, if I die and discover I’m wrong, there is a God after all, will immediately badger God with a long list of questions. And here’s the thing: the questions that I will ask will be exactly the kinds of questions that Crowley asks in Good Omens. Like, seriously, I think: <em>why the fuck do you kill kids? </em>is a real contender for the most commonly asked question by atheists at the point of death and (surprise!) meeting God.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley mirrors my own thoughts and feelings so perfectly it is like some of the lines are plucked right out of me. And it is out and out said that he fell for questioning. It is uncanny. To me, it seems quite obvious that Crowley is the angelic equivalent of a faithless human. Crowley is the angelic equivalent of a human atheist, the kind of human atheist, who doesn’t believe because they reason that any God who exists must be too cruel to be worth worshipping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is absolutely brilliant and awesome. Why? Because if us atheists are wrong we go to Hell. That’s the standard Christian doctrine. Yet— where else can you find us represented amongst the demons? Of course there should be demons who fell for simply lacking faith. Humans go to Hell for it all the time! Absolute genius of the highest order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now— if we jump out of Good Omens and consider the authors, the fact that Crowley’s views mirror atheist opinions so well makes all the sense in the world because <b><em>Terry Pratchett was an</em></b> <b><em>atheist</em></b>. Not just an atheist but an atheist who thought that the God of the Bible was cruel and not worth following even if they existed. So, a lot of Crowley’s thoughts, a lot of those lines that ring so true for me personally, are coming from Terry Pratchett’s own view of the world. I think Terry very much used Crowley as his mouthpiece in Good Omens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, here’s why a faithful Crowley interpretation is disturbing for me, I think: it feels like an erasure, not just of what, to me, is Crowley’s true position in the show or the book, but Terry’s views as one of the authors. Atheists are erased like that a lot. In fact, it even happened to Terry himself with news reports that he had found God following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and here’s how he responded: ‘There is a rumour going around that I have found God. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist’.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There’s also a kind of atheists = the ultimate evil in there too. Like, a literal demon is alright. Can do that. But a faithless demon? Oh whoa. Lacking faith— that’s the worst. Again, we atheists get that in real life. Seriously, there are people who’ve looked at me with such terror when I’ve said I’m an atheist I wonder if somehow the words got jumbled in the air and turned into “I kill babies and bathe in their blood”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, the thing I really love about Good Omens is to me it has a faithful and a faithless solution, represented by Aziraphale and Crowley respectively. Crowley, in my view, never gains faith in God and Aziraphale never loses it (he learns to let go of a misplaced faith in Heaven but I think maintains faith in God until the end). I would never squish Aziraphale into a faithless Aziraphale cause that’s more like me, I love him as he is. And I love the two solution end of Good Omens, I love that it can be read in both ways. A faithful Crowley destroys that.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. How do miracles work in Good Omens?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So, let me say from the outset that there are a number of ways that miracles <em>could</em> work in Good Omens, but in order to write my fanfic <strong><em>Great Omens </em></strong>(a sequel to Good Omens set thirty years in the future covering the time of The Big One) I had to make some decisions about how I thought miracles worked. So, this is an account of how I think they work, and hence a bit of a mixture of more solid meta and head canon. I’ll reference both the book and the show as my preference is to consider them together.</p><p>
  <strong>So, how do miracles work?</strong>
</p><p><strong>Miracles are an angelic/demonic thing</strong>. The only beings we see performing miracles in Good Omens are angels, demons and, of course, Adam Young, a very special demon/human hybrid. Further, there’s no reason to believe it isn’t the case that all angels and demons can perform miracles. It seems to be a core characteristic of their species.</p><p>So, from our human non-miracling perspective understanding miracles is probably a bit like us trying to understand sonar, seeing light beyond the visual spectrum or flying. It can seem like magic. But maybe for angels and demons themselves it isn’t?</p><p><strong>Note</strong>: one possible exception to this is witchcraft though witches are clearly not human-normal. Exactly how you think witchcraft fits in depends on what you think it going on with witchcraft. We know that Agnes Nutter truly had a remarkable prophetic gift. We also know that Newt Pulsifier has a strange affect on technology. But are these phenomena witchcraft? And does witchcraft work the same way as miracles or is it something altogether different? If it works the same then it could be the case that witches have some angelic/demonic blood in their heritage.</p><p><strong>Miracles can be performed consciously or unconsciously</strong>. It is clear from both the book and the show that Aziraphale and Crowley perform miracles without conscious effort. In fact, they aren’t even always aware that they are doing it. In the book Crowley’s speakers work even though he forgot to plug them in and in the show Aziraphale’s phone is so old it shouldn’t work (except he expects it to and so it does). Expectation can be sufficient for a miracle. At the same time, it clearly doesn’t simply work all the time either. When Crowley calls Aziraphale to tell him about Armageddon in the first episode, his call doesn’t go through even though in that moment he expects it to. Is it because he does know, on some level, that the London Mobile Network is down? Perhaps. If so, this suggests that unconscious expectations can only have miraculous effects if there is no ambiguity about it whatsoever, if the unconscious fully and completely expects the result and contains no knowledge at all that might contradict that. So let’s hope a customer doesn’t explain to Aziraphale that his phone isn’t actually connected anymore.</p><p><strong>Miracles require a power source</strong>. This is based on the hand motions, with Aziraphale flicking downwards from Heaven to Earth and Crowley upwards from Hell to Earth, like they are drawing on the energy of Heaven and Hell respectively. This, of course, leads to the question: are Heaven and Hell the only potential power sources?</p><p><strong>Miracles require imagination</strong>. Oh, this is the big one. I think we all agree on this to some extent, huh? I mean it is pretty clear from canon that this is true. We are explicitly told that the reason Crowley could drive his flaming Bentley all the way to Tadfield (and Aziraphale...) but Hastur couldn’t remain in the Bentley as it drove through the wall of flame was that Crowley has an imagination. So, a demon/angel needs to have to be able to clearly imagine the miracle and hold onto that. This kinda relates to the expectation thing, huh? It also explains why they sometimes use particular phrases (“let there be light”) or movements (Crowley blowing the paint off Aziraphale’s jacket). They are imagination aids.</p><p>Personally, I believe in this one big time and I think it explains a lot. For example, I think this is why (apart from flirtation) Aziraphale would prefer for Crowley to miracle the paint off his jacket. That is, Aziraphale’s anxiety about the jacket makes it hard for him to fully imagine the miracle and hold it in mind, an unconscious ‘knowing the paint is there’ might get in the way. Well, in this particular case I suspect that isn’t fully true. But it is the plausible story Aziraphale is going with to make the plausibly deniable flirtation work and this is why it is plausible.</p><p>Now, it is all very well to say that imagination is important but what the Heaven/Hell does that actually mean? The metaphor I have come to latch onto is that it is like the creative arts are for us. It is all very well to be able to paint. But to paint a tiger you need to have seen a tiger and you need to be able to hold a visual of a tiger in your mind. You may be able to write, but to write Sci Fi well you need a clear sense of Sci Fi tropes, an ability to envision a Sci Fi world etc. All of which means, as any artist or writer could tell you, there are things that are easier to do and things that are much, much harder, it would be affected by psychological state and the whole thing can at times fall over for no particular reason the angel/demon can fathom.</p><p>All of this leads neatly onto the next point, but first, a little thought: to what extent are angels/demons influenced by us? Like, do they get ideas for miracles from the imagination, stories and technology of humans? We know that Hell piggy-backs on human technology like radio and television to communicate nowadays. But, is it possible that some of the old-fashioned miracles originally came from the imagination of humans too? Oh wow- humans seem to think gods should be able to control lightning? Brilliant idea. Let’s do it! And, here’s a thought: is that part of why Crowley is so damn imaginative and powerful? Because he’s spent so much time around humans?</p><p><strong>There are individual differences in the kinds of miracles angels/demons can perform</strong>. We know that Crowley could drive his flaming Bentley all the way to Tadfield but Hastur couldn’t even remain in the car. So, there certainly are individual differences. That’s canon. And if imagination is important, and it is like the creative arts for humans this makes a lot of sense. Knowing that one particular angel/demon could perform a specific miracle under specific conditions doesn’t necessarily mean they all could do it or even that that particular angel/demon could always perform that miracle. It’d be like saying “Hey, you wrote a Good Omens fanfic so you can write. Well, Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, so write Hamlet.” Or “you wrote an award winning poem last month. Here’s pen and paper, write another in the next five minutes.” To me, this smooths out a lot of potential inconsistencies such as why Crowley didn’t teleport himself to Tadfield. If he didn’t do it, we just have to trust that he couldn’t do it.</p><p>If angels/demons have strengths and weaknesses, just like human artists do, then it makes sense for them to play to their strengths. So, maybe when Aziraphale asks Crowley to check that no one is watching them before they swap back to the correct bodies, that is simply because he knows that that miracle is one of Crowley’s strengths. It is just like in any joint artistic endeavour, artists will play to their own strengths.</p><p><strong>Specific miracles may be learned and practised.</strong>It is possible then that specific miracles may be learned, that they may become smoother and easier over time with practice. Who knows? Maybe they actually spend time deliberately practising certain tricky miracles to get them right. Maybe Crowley’s time stop miracle is the result of dedicated and deliberate practice over many years. Perhaps Aziraphale can’t stop time at all because it is an especially tricky miracle and he’s never practised it. Particularly under stress, the most practiced miracles may be much easier for them to perform. And hence, under stress, those old favourites are the miracles that they turn to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Our own side: the metaphysics of Crowley and Aziraphale’s Alliance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>What are the changes that could be wrought by Crowley and Aziraphale’s alliance having real metaphysical implications? Here are some of my ideas:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>1. <b>Aziraphale could fall</b>. This is probably the most explored potential consequence in fic (though not in my fic Great Omens!). For this to happen, Good Omens ‘verse must either be a world in which angels could fall at any time (rather than a world in which The Fall was a specific event occurring at a particular time) or a second Fall event must take place (even if Aziraphale was the only angel to fall in it). I’ve read some fantastic fic exploring this possibility. But personally, I tend to think that The Fall was a specific event, not something that could happen at any time, for the simple reason that in Good Omens neither Aziraphale nor Crowley voice any concerns over the possibility of Aziraphale falling. Given the concerns they do voice, that suggests to me that they know that can’t happen. Of course, they could turn out to be wrong!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>2.<b> Both Aziraphale’s tether to Heaven and Crowley’s tether to Hell could be severed</b>. A version for this is explored in my fic Great Omens. It is possible that the fracturing of their loyalties would have flow on metaphysical effects. In fact, the way the angels and the demons react to the body switch trick demonstrates that they themselves think that is possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But what would that mean? How exactly would they be different? Well, that depends on how much of Aziraphale and Crowley is them and how much is to do with their ongoing metaphysical connection to Heaven and Hell. There isn’t one answer to that question, there’s a range of possibilities. But I think that any characteristics that angels and demons share (E.g. wings, immortality) are prime candidates for being considered permanent characteristics and characteristics of the angels/demon species that cannot be changed. Beyond that, anything could either change or stay the same.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Something to consider though is their miracle hand gestures where Aziraphale draws upon the power of Heaven (gesturing down) and Crowley on the power of Hell (gesturing up). This suggests that without an ongoing connection to Heaven or Hell they wouldn’t be able to perform miracles. Unless, of course, they learned to call upon a new power source!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This also ties into another popular head canon: that the body switch trick wasn’t necessary because Azirsphale is now truly immune to hellfire and Crowley truly immune to holy water. The hellfire/holy water vulnerability could well be reliant on an active connection to Heaven or Hell, and hence disappear with Our Own Side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>3. <b>They could become a third potential destination for human souls after death</b>. If Aziraphale and Crowley truly have set up a side metaphysically distinct from Heaven and Hell, well, why couldn’t humans souls end up there after death? Yes, this is explored in my fic Great Omens and I’m surprised I haven’t come across other fic exploring it. The possibility leads to the question: what kind of people would come to Aziraphale and Crowley? Well, it depends on how the Heaven vs Hell system already works. I suspect that there’s a set criteria to get into Heaven and everyone else goes to Hell. I also suspect, from the poor numbers of musical composers in Heaven, that Heaven’s criteria is quite tough to meet. So I suspect, like Hell, they’d be taking Heaven’s rejects. But, unlike Hell, they’d be picky, with humans most similar to Aziraphale and Crowley themselves, who lived lives in accordance with Aziraphale and Crowley’s values who get to make the most of the third option. It could well be that some of it is at the discretion of Death! Who knows?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Angelic and Demonic Sexuality in Good Omens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are a number of ways of understanding angelic and demonic sexuality in Good Omens (both the book and the show). There isn’t one interpretation that’s set in canonical stone. But, given that, I’d like to share my interpretation for what it is worth.</p><p>Let’s start with set in stone canon (both the show and the book). Canon gives us a lot of wiggle room.</p><p>
  <strong>But here’s what we know from canon:</strong>
</p><p>Angels and demons are sexless. This is clearly stated in the book, and depicted in the show through the casting of both male and female angels/demons as well as the fact that Crowley presents as female twice.</p><p>Angels and demons can manifest genitalia if they ‘make an effort’ as per the book.</p><p>Crowley goes to the bathroom at some point during his 100 year nap in the book. Therefore he must, at the time, have had either an urethra or an anus or both.</p><p>Gabriel is aware of pornography in the show and has some grasp of the fact that humans consider sexuality private.</p><p>Angels and demons are from the same original stock. There are some differences but they are basically the same species.</p><p>Angels and demons are a different species to humans. Not just different but there’s a huge gap in terms of abilities, knowledge and lifespan.</p><p>Angels and demons are not solitary by nature. They clearly have social bonds, needs and relationships.</p><p>Angels and demons experience emotions very similarly to humans. They also experience trauma similarly to humans.</p><p>Heaven and Hell are basically a cult and are abusive. This means that all the angels and demons in Good Omens aren't showing us healthy and normal demonic and angelic behaviour. They are showing us how demons and angels are under conditions of trauma, living in a cult.</p><p><strong>Moving beyond set in stone canon to canonical evidence or subtext we need to consider the following</strong>:</p><p>It is possible that Crowley was not aware of how animal reproduction worked in the time of The Flood as per the show. Of course, he might have been familiar with sexuality and simply never linked sex with fertility. It is also possible that he simply hadn’t immediately grasped that the point of gathering two of every animal was to breed them.</p><p>There’s a whole lot of sexual subtext between Aziraphale and Crowley in the show. Not just nonverbal subtext, like the way Aziraphale looks Crowley up and down in the Bastille, or how Crowley stares at Aziraphale eating in the Ritz, or the wall slam scene. There’s a lot of sexual subtext in the actual script, for example: (1) Aziraphale suggests that Crowley’s new name might be Asmodeus the name of the demon of lust, (2) it is oysters that Aziraphale tempts Crowley to eat in Rome, (3) Crowley says Aziraphale is enough of a bastard to be worth <strong><em>knowing</em></strong> leading to the double entendre of knowing in the biblical sense (fucking).</p><p><strong>Alright, now let’s consider the wider Christian mythos. Is there anything from the wider Christian mythos that may inform our interpretation</strong>?</p><p>Myths around the incubi and succubi, demons who have sex with humans, suggest that at least some demons have experimented with human-like sexuality. Likewise, one possible interpretation of this Biblical passage:</p><p>Genesis 6:1-4.</p><p><em>When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not content with men forever, for he is mortal, his days will be a hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown</em>.</p><p>Is that angels had sex with and impregnated human women, creating the nephilim. Again, that suggests that some angels may have experimented with human-like sexuality too. This doesn’t mean that any of this is true in Good Omens, or that if it is true, that Crowley or Aziraphale have any kind of sexual feelings. But it does mean that we can’t dismiss the possibility simply because angels and demons are sexless.</p><p>In Paradise Lost by Milton, angels do experience attraction and perform a kind of intermingling act that is analogous to sex and physical affection in humans. Raphael explains it to Adam like this: ‘Easier than air with air, if spirits embrace, Total they mix, union of pure with pure, Desiring’ (sounds fun...). Now, again, just because it is in Paradise Lost doesn’t mean it is in Good Omens. But... intermingling should at least be <strong><em>possible</em></strong> in Good Omens—all that space between electrons—so it is more a matter of whether or not it is <em>pleasurable</em> and something they <em>desire</em>. Also, in Good Omens, angels and demons are social, they form bonds, so the idea that they might have something, not necessarily analogous to sex per se, but to physical affection at least— an act that develops and maintains bonds, a kind of desire for closeness and an act to express that desire—makes a lot of sense.</p><p>
  <strong>Alright, so, putting all of that together, here’s what I've come up with:</strong>
</p><p>Angels and demons in their natural state experience attraction to each other— a sense of connection and a desire for closeness. They can express their attraction with a pleasurable intermingling. This strengthens their bond. It is possible that they pair bond but maybe not, maybe they form multiple bonds. Broadly, it is analogous to sex and physical affection for humans.</p><p>So, would angels/demons ever think of experimenting with human forms of sex with each other? Well, given Gabriel’s understanding of pornography I don’t think it is a given. I don’t think he has had those thoughts! But, yeah, I think that as long as they have some kind of desire for closeness and expression of that desire naturally, then at least some of them would if given the right opportunity (time in a body, needing to make an effort etc).</p><p>Put it this way. Imagine humans were suddenly given the ability to intermingle. Would any humans want to try it? Hell yes, some would. Would it have romantic and/or sexual overtones for people trying it? Absolutely, for the majority I’d think! Not everyone would get into intermingling. It might even be a minority. But a significant minority certainly would. So, I think that some angels/demons who are exposed to the right opportunities like having a body, needing to make an effort, exposure to human sexuality would start experimenting with human-like sexuality. They still don’t have human sexuality per se, but the human stuff would, with time, get wrapped up in their angelic/demonic intermingling closeness desires.</p><p>So, would an angel or a demon consider having sex with a human? Given the huge gap between our species, I think this would be squicky for most. Not just because we are different species but also because there’s such a gap in terms of abilities, lifespan, and they play a kind of caretaking role towards us. So while I think a minority would given the right opportunities, I also I think that most wouldn't. I think it’d be less common than wanting to try human-like sex with another angel/demon. Plus, if angels/demons were regularly having sex with humans, we’d hear more about it than the Nephilim and incubi/succubi! I mean there’s a lot of angels/demons out there!</p><p>Now all of this so far is thinking through normal and healthy angelic and demonic sexualities. But, Heaven and Hell are a cult. So what do cults do with sexuality and attraction? Cults repress and control sexuality. Cults prevent their members from forming strong bonds, including romantic relationships, and they systematically destroy bonds that do form. In cults there is often: extreme shame around sex, misinformation around sex, coerced sex particularly with the leader or forced group sex and coerced couplings (eg the leader tells you that you are married to another member and that's that). All of this stops the members from building the kinds of strong supportive bonds with each other that would allow them to break free from the cult. So, I strongly suspect that: there's a lot of misinformation and shame around intermingling, the power structures of Heaven and Hell work to stop angels and demons forming bonds with each other, and that any intermingling that does happen is coerced in a group situation or with one's superior/leader. Kinda fits with there being Heaven propaganda around all love flowing down from the top, huh?</p><p>
  <strong>What does any of this mean for Aziraphale and Crowley?</strong>
</p><p>Well, there's plenty of sexual subtext for Aziraphale and Crowley in the show. It isn't just one line or one look, there's plenty of it. So, although their sexualities aren't set in canonical stone, personally, I think the evidence points towards them experiencing sexual attraction and feelings.</p><p>If a desire for intermingling is the angelic/demonic norm, then this feeling—angelic/demonic attraction—may well have been present since their very first meeting. However, as they are living within a cult with shame and misinformation it would be no surprise if they didn’t immediately recognise it for what it is.</p><p>Of all the angels and demons, Aziraphale and Crowley have the most opportunity to develop human-like sexual feelings. Not only are they on Earth, with a body and exposed to humanity for 6000 years, they are doing all of that <strong><em>with each other</em></strong>. They are interacting with their crush over and over both in physical bodies with humanity all around and while trying desperately to repress their forbidden feelings. It is little wonder then that any human-like physical reactions that emerged became entangled with their angelic/demonic feelings (and little wonder they developed a few kinks too).</p><p>Given their 6000 years on Earth it makes sense for them both to have needed to make an effort multiple times. Crowley’s bathroom break in the book suggests that he was making an effort then even though it wasn’t necessary (or maybe he just had a urethra or an anus? He certainly needed to have a urethra or an anus!). It is likely that they’ve had opportunities to discover not just sexual feelings or attraction but particular physical responses of their bodies. Now, one big difference between intermingling and human sex is that intermingling has no *ahem* solo equivalent. Given 6000 years of pining, that’s a good reason in my view, for Crowley and Aziraphale to engage some solo exploration of human sexuality, to let their desires find some kind of outlet, and if they did that then it would have entangled human sexual expression with their natural intermingling drive all the more.</p><p>I think we can use the subtext to date the development of more human-like sexual feelings. The first clearly sexual piece of subtext is Aziraphale asking if Crowley's new name is Asmodeus at the crucifixion scene. Asmodeus is a demon of lust. Neither of them seem to realise what this might mean (Aziraphale thinks Crowley is a lust demon- why might he think that?), however, so I think at this point some human-like sexual feelings have begun to develop but neither of them recognise them for what they are (they may not even recognise their intermingling desire for what it is). In Rome, we have the tempting to eat oysters comment, and we have Crowley's clear double take. This means I think that Crowley, at least, begins to understand the nature of the feelings between them at this point. And, of course, we have the double entendre of Crowley saying that Aziraphale is enough of a bastard to be worth <strong><em>knowing</em></strong>. From Aziraphale’s reaction, he seems to catch the full meaning and be rather pleased by it, suggesting that they have known each other in some manner by this point.</p><p>On the sex with humans question, I personally lean towards thinking that neither of them have. I rather think that’d be like a human having sex with a beloved pet dog. Well, perhaps not that extreme, but still, I don’t think Crowley or Aziraphale are into that kind of thing. It isn’t just that angels/demons and humans are two different species. Humans have agency in a way that a dog does not, and could consent to sexual interactions with beings from another species. It wouldn’t be bestiality. However, there is a huge power differential between angels/demons and humans in terms of abilities and lifespan. Further, angels/demons have a kind of caretaking role towards us. It is all of this that makes me think that sex with a human would be a bit squicky for them.</p><p>On the other hand, I think having sex with each other, in all their forms, is very likely. I mean, why not? They remain themselves in each of their forms. Surely restricting themselves to one form only would be like a human refusing to sleep with their partner if they are wearing a particular jacket. Yes, I am saying that it makes more sense for Aziraphale to have sex with snake!Crowley than with Oscar Wilde.</p><p>All of this also means that they are probably each other’s first times for human-like sex, and probably also for intermingling, although they both may have experienced coerced intermingling in the past.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Aziraphale’s gut</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In many cultures (including Western cultures) the gut is associated with wisdom and intuition. As in having a ‘gut feeling’ or ‘listen to your gut’.</p><p>Gut feelings particularly refer to our immediate intuitive and wise understanding of something, an understanding that is felt in our body and arises from direct experience, rather than an intellectual understanding. </p><p>The gut is the location of the enteric nervous system (ENS), an elaborate nervous system that can operate independently of the brain and has hence been dubbed the ‘second brain’. So the idea of gut-feelings is increasingly backed up by science.</p><p>Back to Aziraphale. Aziraphale has a big gut. That is, he has he has plenty of intuitive wisdom. Has had it all along. It was there in his giving away of his flaming sword back in Eden. His experiences on Earth have only fed it, grown it. But, like many of us, he hasn’t been listening to his gut. Instead, he thinks and he ruminates. He listens to his mind and to Heaven. </p><p>Gabriel wants Aziraphale to lose his gut, to cut out his intuitive wisdom altogether. Well, wouldn’t that just be convenient for Heaven?</p><p>In contrast, Crowley quite likes feeding Aziraphale, doesn’t he? Watching him eat? Watching that intuitive wisdom grow?</p><p>Aziraphale’s story arc is partly about him learning to truly listen to the gut feelings that he has had since the beginning and to trust them.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Soft or BAMF?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alright here’s my two cents in the is Aziraphale soft or BAMF question: he’s both. He’s fully both and he’s always been both because, in spite of what we get told, there’s a certain kind of BAMFness that comes from softness. They aren’t actually opposites. Softness (compassion, kindness etc) is not weakness. It requires great strength and it<em><strong> generates</strong></em> strength.</p><p>There are two kinds of BAMF. There’s the one we usually see: the hot-headed, competitive, let’s take on the world and win, aggressive, ambitious kind of BAMF. That’s all bravado and hot anger. You know, the kind of anger that calls you to destroy, to conquer? And then after you may well regret your actions?</p><p>But there’s the other kind too: a protective, ruthlessly determined, aggressive yes, but in a defensive way kind of BAMF. It is a whole different thing. It isn’t a hot anger at all, but a cold one. It never calls you to seek out and destroy but it is the certainty that you must do what you must do to protect what needs protecting. And when it is moved it is absolutely ruthless. Actions taken are not regretted. They are, after all, simply what had to be done. This is the BAMFness that grows out of softness (compassion, kindness) because part of all of that softness is ruthlessly and fiercely protecting what you love, those you are compassionate towards. It is a kind of righteous anger (appropriately enough!) motivated not by ego but by correcting wrongs.</p><p>Think of a mama bear. From the cub’s perspective she’s all love and kindness. All softness. If all’s well she’s happy fussing about with her cave, her world, her cubs. She’s not interested in ego-related aggression like expanding her territory. Far better to make peace, to forge the kind of alliances that allow for a peaceful world in which her cubs can grow. But if you step into her cave and threaten her cubs you’ll see a very different side to all of that softness because she will kill you without hesitation. Not because she’s aggressive in a hot-headed way but out of compassion and love for her cubs. You simply must be eliminated and that’s that.</p><p>That is the BAMFness of Aziraphale. It isn’t in opposition to his softness. It grows out of it. His is a righteous BAMFness. He will do everything he can to forge the kind of peace his cubs (Crowley and humanity) need. He’s had no ambitions on anyone else’s territory. But if you step into his cave (the world) and threaten his cubs he will do whatever he thinks is needed to eliminate that threat (break his alliance to Heaven, possess a human, kill a child, argue with the highest authority in Heaven).</p><p>And that, for me, is a key lesson Aziraphale gives us: softness is not weakness. That is a lie. There is a kind of ruthless and righteous strength that grows out of softest parts of ourselves. Aziraphale is a soft BAMF.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Bus bench scene</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the show, there’s something about how Crowley throws out that line post-Armageddon, waiting for the bus: “what if the Almighty planned it like this all along?” that is just so empathetic and caring and selfless… </p><p>In the book Aziraphale is the one to suggest that perhaps it was the Almighty who planned it all this way. The train of thought is more in keeping with Aziraphale’s character. So why is the line given to Crowley in the show? The show, in my opinion, depicts trauma and grief in a much more realistic way. Neil Gaiman took all of his additional life experience and poured it into the script. So Aziraphale can’t say this line in the show, he can’t say it just yet in this moment. As clever as he is, he’s still reeling too much from the shock of it all. He’s still unmoored by the loss of Heaven. But, I think, Neil wants us to know where he ultimately lands and so he gives us a hint in the form of a question from Crowley.<br/>Crowley knows Aziraphale better than anyone. In that moment, waiting for the bus, Crowley knows that Aziraphale has had the ground ripped out from under him. Crowley knows that Aziraphale has  lost all faith in Heaven,  that he’s literally lost Heaven in fact, and that he will have to discover what exactly being on his own side with Crowley means. It means more than just loyalty to Crowley, it also means Aziraphale needs to think for himself much more thoroughly, to follow his own intuition and his own moral compass.  Crowley has, in this sense, been on his own side for a very long time now. The loss of Hell is not a loss for Crowley.</p><p>Crowley, knowing Aziraphale as he does, sees that there’s something that could make the enormous adjustment easier for him. He sees that Aziraphale could retain his faith in God herself by choosing to believe that it was all God’s plan, including Aziraphale and Crowley forming their own side. Personally, I don’t for a moment believe Crowley actually thinks that this is actually likely or that he personally thinks that it being all God’s plan makes it all okay. I think he thinks it is possible. He would never encourage Aziraphale to believe in something that is an outright lie. But it isn’t Crowley’s explanation. He doesn’t need it. Crowley does what Crowley thinks is right, he follows his own moral compass. He doesn’t need to know whether or not his actions fit with anyone’s plan, they are his own actions and he is happy to own them. </p><p>So, in throwing the question out there, in the gentle and tender way in does— “what if the Almighty planned it like this all along?”—this is Crowley really understanding Aziraphale, understanding how much he is hurting and understanding what he needs. He offers up his question as a gift. He says it casually like it is no big deal and lets the seed take root.<br/>Crowley could have tried, in this moment, to get Aziraphale to see the world exactly as he does but he doesn’t. Instead, he encourages Aziraphale to make his own peace with it all, to figure it out in his own way. He doesn’t want Aziraphale to agree with him, he wants Aziraphale to think for himself. And he encourages all of that, he puts that wheel in motion with a question. </p><p>Not only is that kind, and gentle, and shows how thoroughly Crowley knows Aziraphale, but also—he’s the ultimate defender of free will, isn’t he? Still the serpent.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Heist Temptation or Shadwell is there because Aziraphale sent him</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shadwell does not appear at the holy water heist by accident. It is not a coincidence. Oh, no. He was there by design. He was sent <strong><em>by Aziraphale</em></strong>.</p><p>Crowley didn’t enlist Shadwell’s services. He enlisted the services of a Mr Narker. Shadwell just turns up with a suspicious story about Mr Narker passing on and leaving him the business (and apparently, taking the time to ensure that Shadwell had all the details of Crowley’s little meeting). How convenient. We have nothing but Shadwell’s word for any of this. And we know that Shadwell is a con artist. And we know that he is already running the witchfinder’s army scheme. Why would we take him at his word?</p><p>We know that Aziraphale employs Shadwell in 2019. What we don’t know is when or how Aziraphale’s relationship with Shadwell began. It isn’t a stretch at all to imagine that it might have begun before the holy water heist in 1967. When you pause and think it through, isn’t it a strange coincidence that both Aziraphale and Crowley knew Shadwell? Wouldn’t it be simpler if, somehow, Shadwell met one of them <strong><em>through his association with the other? </em></strong></p><p>Aziraphale appears in the Bentley immediately after Crowley’s little pre-heist meeting. Not only does he appear immediately, he knows exactly what’s going on. He even has the holy water ready to go. Aziraphale has clearly been spying on Crowley. He knows far too much to be simply the recipient of gossip. Given this, if Shadwell was already Aziraphale’s agent, and there’s every chance that he was, then of course Aziraphale must have sent him. It is the most logical explanation.</p><p>So, there we have it: Aziraphale was spying on Crowley. Aziraphale took care of Mr Narker and sent Shadwell in his place.</p><p>But, can we take this a step further? What if Aziraphale wasn’t just spying on Crowley? What if the heist wasn’t mischief accidentally discovered by Aziraphale? What if it was a set up?</p><p>After all, the strangest part of the heist is the location. Why Soho? <strong><em>Why Soho?</em></strong> Why did Crowley recruit criminals from Soho and meet with them so close to the Bookshop? We are left with two possibilities: either Crowley chose the location and was deliberately trying to get a certain angel’s attention or Aziraphale choose the location because Aziraphale set Crowley up.</p><p>Why would Aziraphale spy on Crowley? Why would he set Crowley up? Aziraphale knows that Crowley wants holy water. Aziraphale has refused to give it to him but that doesn’t mean that Crowley won’t do something rash to obtain it for himself. Perhaps at first, Aziraphale comforts himself with the illusion that Crowley, as a demon, cannot enter a church. But then in 1941 Crowley enters a church to save Aziraphale and that comforting illusion is well and truly shattered! Crowley even comments off-handedly on the fact that the holy water is unguarded. And he is right. Holy water is unguarded in churches all around the world. How the Heaven can Aziraphale protect Crowley from himself?</p><p>Imagine Aziraphale’s distress when he processes all of this later, when he realises that there’s nothing to stop Crowley from coming up with some ridiculous scheme to obtain holy water for himself. Imagine how he must have fretted! And he thought Crowley deliberately taking his own life with holy water was awful. What if Crowley was destroyed by accident trying to obtain the very holy water that Aziraphale had refused to give! What’s an angel to do?</p><p>At the least, at the very least, he begins to spy on Crowley, to watch out for any hint that Crowley may be going to try to obtain holy water so that he can step in. But, that’s a hopeless business, isn’t it? Holy water can be obtained from churches all over the world. It doesn’t even have guards. What can Aziraphale possibly do?</p><p>What if Aziraphale realises that it would be better to hand over the holy water himself than to allow Crowley to make a rash grab for holy water, to eliminate the risk of an accidental disaster. And yet, he can’t just hand it over immediately. What if Crowley isn’t going attempt to obtain the holy water for himself? What if Crowley has given up on that crazy idea? Aziraphale would be handing over a suicide pill unnecessarily. Unthinkable!  Aziraphale works it through slowly and carefully, and gradually he comes up with a scheme. He’s been performing temptations for Crowley for centuries by now. He has a fair idea of how they work. And so, he decides to tempt Crowley, to set him up. If Crowley falls for it, well, then he’ll know that he must step in and offer up the holy water himself. Perhaps he sets up the temptation at a local church, ensuring that Crowley sees a nice full font of holy water on a walk one evening. Perhaps he sends just the right criminal types into Crowley’s path. Perhaps it is all of the above or more. But eventually, in 1967, Crowley takes the bait. And Aziraphale knows just what to do.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Good Omens and Nineteen Eighty-Four: a comparison</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The final lines of the book Good Omens contain a clear reference to the book Nineteen Eighty-Four: ‘And if you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot… no, imagine a sneaker.’</p><p>As a result, Neil and Terry set up the ending of Good Omens in opposition to the ending of Nineteen Eighty-Four. They tell us: if you want to know what could have been, what was avoided, go read Nineteen Eighty-Four. In doing so, they also hint at exactly how Heaven and Hell might operate i.e. like the Party in Nineteen Eighty-Four.</p><p>Although the exact final lines from the book Good Omens are not in the show, the comparison between Good Omens and Nineteen Eighty-Four still stands.</p><p>
  <strong>Here are the final words of the book Good Omens:</strong>
</p><p><strong>‘</strong>If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boy and his dog and his friends.  And a summer that never ends.<br/>And if you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot… no, imagine a sneaker, laces trailing, kicking a pebble; imagine a stick, to poke at interesting things, and throw for a dog that may or may not decide to retrieve it; imagine a tuneless whistle, pounding some luckless popular song into insensibility; imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human…<br/>Slouching hopefully towards Tadfield…<br/>…forever.’</p><p><strong><em>Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch</em></strong>, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett<br/><br/></p><p>
  <strong>And here is the relevant quote in the book Nineteen Eighty-Four:</strong>
</p><p>‘There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always— do not forget this, Winston— always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless.<br/>If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever.’</p><p> <strong><em>Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel</em></strong>, George Orwell</p><p>
  <strong>A quick summary of Nineteen Eighty-Four</strong>
</p><p>Nineteen Eighty-Four tells the story of Winston Smith. Winston lives in Oceania, a totalitarian and cult-like regime run by the Party and headed by the divine-like figure of Big Brother. The Party maintains power through near-constant surveillance, propaganda, thought control and violence. The control of thought, the propaganda and the re-writing of history is so extreme that it is difficult to be certain what is and is not factually correct in Winston’s world. Oceania is one of three totalitarian regimes in the world, the other two being Eurasia and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastasia_(Nineteen_Eighty-Four)">Eastasia</a> and the three regimes are locked in a perpetual war, though allegiances shift.</p><p>The people of Oceania are taught to love Big Brother, though no one ever sees Big Brother directly and we are told that Big Brother cannot die. It is not clear if there is or was ever a real person behind the mythic figure of Big Brother. It is clear that Big Brother functions as a mythic, god-like figure, used by the Party to foster loyalty and obedience.</p><p>On the flip side of Big Brother and the Party, we have Goldstein and the Brotherhood. Goldstein is was once a member of the Party, but he is now a traitor and the leader of the Brotherhood, an organisation of rebels who aim to destroy the Party. Goldstein is said to be the author of the book <em>The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, </em>a book that details how the Party maintains power and how it could be overthrown. However, it is revealed that Goldstein was not the author at all. The book is itself propaganda produced by the Party as a trap for thought criminals and rebels. It is possible that Goldstein himself does not exist, or if he once existed, he is now a mythic figure used by the Party for their own ends.</p><p>Winston begins the book with doubts about Big Brother. He works for the Ministry of Truth, erasing and rewriting history. Throughout the book he searches for the means to rebel and he falls in love with a woman named Julia. Winston and Julia risk much to be together. Their very relationship is forbidden by the Party. Although Julia is also a thought criminal who hates Big Brother, she does not have Winston’s thirst for overthrowing the regime. She does not think it possible. Instead, she focusses on the moments of escape that she can forge with Winston.</p><p>Ultimately, Winston is captured and tortured. Initially his hatred of Big Brother and his love of Julia help him to resist, but Winston is taken to the dreaded Room 101, a room in which the thought criminal is made to experience their worst fears. He betrays Julia, and everything he knows to be true. In the process, he loses all love for her. We later learn that Julia does the same. In the end, Winston loves Big Brother.</p><p>
  <strong>Alright- let’s compare!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thought control</strong>
</p><p>Thought control and propaganda are core to the Party’s operations. Three thought-stopping slogans feature heavily in Nineteen Eighty-Four: (1) War is peace, (2) freedom is slavery, and (3) ignorance is strength. Compare this to the operation of Heaven in Good Omens. In fact, compare this to Heaven in Good Omens. Heaven is meant to be, well, <em>heaven</em>. Instead it is cold, ruthless and all of the best composers are in Hell. Yet Aziraphale is told, Aziraphale repeats that heaven is <em>heavenly</em>. Evidence that it is not is swept away with the thought-stopping phrases like ‘it’s ineffable.’</p><p>It is clear from all that Aziraphale says and does that he has been absolutely pumped with propaganda. Gosh, it takes until Armageddon for him to accept that God isn’t coming to save them, as well as to realise that he can possess people like a demon (and by extension, that angels and demons aren’t so different after all). The thing is, Aziraphale is (1) clever, (2) stationed on Earth and (3) friends with a demon. Of all of the angels, he has had the most opportunity to break through Heaven’s thought control, and he still right up until Armageddon, hadn’t fully managed it. This is absolutely not a criticism of Aziraphale. Rather, it shows us how extreme the thought control is.</p><p>The book Nineteen Eighty-Four gave us the concept of doublethink. Doublethink is holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously and accepting both of them. Aziraphale is a master of doublethink. Here’s just some of the contradictory beliefs that he manages to hold at the same time:</p><ul>
<li>Crowley is both a friend and an enemy</li>
<li>Aziraphale is both obedient to Heaven and in an arrangement with a demon</li>
<li>The final victory over Heaven will involve the loss of everything Aziraphale loves: books, food, music and Crowley and yet, it will also be ‘rather lovely’</li>
</ul><p>Double think is a core aspect of thought control in Nineteen Eighty-Four because it is what prevents the erroneous ideas being challenged by reality. Aziraphale’s capacity for doublethink is why it takes Armageddon for him to start fully breaking his programming.</p><p>
  <strong>A perpetual war</strong>
</p><p>Within Nineteen Eighty-Four the Party uses perpetual war as a strategy to maintain power. It uses up resources, maintaining high rates of production and constant work without improving the standard of living and it provides a direction for everyone’s anger (so it doesn’t come back on the Party).</p><p>Now, what if the perpetual war between Heaven and Hell has exactly the same function? What if it is a means to control angels and demons? A means to keep angels and demons busy and direct their anger, preventing any true revolution or change in their conditions?  If that is its function, well then it certainly fulfils that function rather well!</p><p>
  <strong>Constant surveillance </strong>
</p><p>Constant surveillance is used by the Party to control the people. In the book Good Omens we never really know the level of surveillance. In the show, we do have some idea. The fact that God is always watching is made clear by the fact that she is the narrator. Of course, she doesn’t use this to control anyone. But she isn’t the only one watching. The existence of the Earth observation files shows that Heaven operates with a level of constant surveillance. No, they aren’t literally watching every moment. But they do have every moment recorded, and when suspicions have been aroused, they can check up on you. It is little wonder that Aziraphale feared getting caught.</p><p>
  <strong>Big Brother and God</strong>
</p><p>In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Party forbids religion, but the figure of Big Brother is divine-like. Big Brother is infallible and all-powerful. It is also said that he can never die. And yet, at no point in the book does anyone actually see Big Brother himself in the flesh. What we see is the mythic of Big Brother, used by others for the purposes of control. Was there originally a real person behind the myth? Is there still? If so, is his agenda the same as all that is attributed to him? Probably not. The original Big Brother may have been a good intentioned leader. He may be in a prison somewhere, in fact, or dead. We simply do not know.</p><p>All of this parallels nicely with God in Good Omens. Heaven, and even Hell, use the mythic figure of God to control the angels and the demons, invoking God’s Great Plan. God is infallible and all-powerful and, ultimately, responsible for everything through her Great Plan, or so it is said.</p><p>Yet, do we see the real God, the original being behind the mythic figure? In the book, we don’t get to see for ourselves who God really is.  Like Big Brother, he could be a real being behind the myth, truly controlling Heaven or he could be imprisoned or even dead. We simply do not know.</p><p> In the show, however, God narrates. So we, the audience, know that she still exists. Yet, she remains elusive to the characters. She does not appear, not even with the imminent destruction of the world, not even when Satan appears and as Crowley says she’s ‘not talking to any of us.’ We know that she did communicate with Aziraphale at the Beginning. But it sounds like she’s been silent for a long time. Yet, we, the audience, know she isn’t fully removed. She is watching. What is her agenda? That is left unclear. What exactly does she have in common with the mythic figure of herself? Is she ultimately guiding everyone? Does she have a Great Plan and is it what they think it is? Is she benevolent? Or is she merely watching? All we know is, from her own account, it is all an ineffable game of her own devising.</p><p>
  <strong>The mythic of Goldstein and the creation of Hell </strong>
</p><p>In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Party uses the mythic of Goldstein, a former Party member and traitor who is now the leader of the rebellion to reveal thought criminals and purge their ranks of disloyalty. Former party leader turned traitor and the leader of the rebellion… Sound like anyone?</p><p>I think we should seriously consider the possibility that the war in Heaven, the rebellion, and the creation of Hell served exactly the same purpose in Good Omens: to reveal the thought criminals and to purge Heaven’s ranks of disloyalty. By allowing the disloyal angels to ‘rebel’ and giving them a pre-scripted role as rebels still fighting a perpetual war, well, it is a pretty clever way to ensure that there will be no genuine revolution isn’t it? And, after all, for all their rhetoric about war, Heaven and Hell still have entrances in the same damn building as well as back channels of communication. Hell is still trying to bring about the Great Plan. It makes sense that ultimately, Hell exists to keep Heaven in power, just as the Brotherhood exists to keep the Party in power.</p><p>Of course, we know that Lucifer/Satan exists in Good Omens. He is not a mere mythic figure. But I suspect that Lucifer/Satan, the fallen angel behind the myth, is in on the scheme. He may well have truly been a traitor, a traitor who was offered leadership of Hell and who took up this offer to further his own power. Or perhaps Lucifer/Satan isn’t a traitor at all but the most remarkable double agent.</p><p>Incidentally, this all means that Crowley truly did fall for questioning. He fell for thought crime.</p><p>
  <strong>Aziraphale and Crowley’s relationship vs Winston and Julia’s relationship</strong>
</p><p>Like Winston and Julia, Aziraphale and Crowley must go to great lengths to be together. Their relationship is forbidden, and for it they risk much. Also like Julia and Winston, although one of them (Winston, Crowley), has a hunger for rebellion and change, and the other (Aziraphale, Julia) believes that change is impossible and focusses, instead, on finding the moments that they can together.</p><p>In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston betrays Julia and Julia betrays Winston. They lose their love for each other. Love, we are told, is crushed by the Party. In contrast, the message in Good Omens is much more optimistic. For Aziraphale and Crowley, love wins out. Neither betray the other in the ultimate sense and any smaller betrayals along the way are easily forgiven. Love is not lost. Love leads them both to freedom. In Good Omens, love is stronger than power and control.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>What exactly was prevented when Armageddon was stopped? </strong>
</p><p>Nineteen Eighty-Four tells us exactly what was prevented when Armageddon was foiled. A world after Armageddon would have been all ‘the intoxication of power’ and at every moment ‘the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless’. But whose victory?  Heaven’s or Hell’s? It really doesn’t matter. What matters is power and control. Aziraphale himself eludes to this in the book when he appears briefly within the body of an American televangelist. He explains that Heaven is not necessarily going to win. In fact, he suggests that it could easily go either way. And, he says, neither side is going to be too worried about how many humans are destroyed along the way.</p><p>
  <strong>How is Armageddon prevented?</strong>
</p><p>In Nineteen Eighty-Four Winston says that what might achieve victory over the Party is the spirit of Man. He is shown to be wrong.</p><p>But, in Good Omens, the ‘spirit of Man’ is triumphant and we are told exactly what ‘the ‘spirit of Man’ means.</p><p>A loyal Party member (an angel) cannot triumph. Neither can a member of the Brotherhood (a demon). Instead, we need someone all too human. The solution is cannot be found in any form of power and control, not in top-down authoritarian control or in violent revolution and mob rule.</p><p>It is found in the embracing of humanity. It is found in embracing the world as it is, with all its faults and failings: kicking pebbles, throwing a stick to a dog, whistling tunelessly. The solution is not perfect. It is messy. It is not found in power and control. It is not found in chaos and reactionary anger. Rather, it is also a strange kind of centre, a balance point between those two opposing instincts, between rigid authoritarian control and chaos . It is a middle way. It is freedom and it is love.</p><p>Or as the final lines of the Good Omens book have it:</p><p>‘imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human…</p><p>Slouching hopefully towards Tadfield…<br/>…forever’</p>
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